Bhopal producer and electronic artist Kshitij Singh (Dystorizon) shows a little willingness to experiment writing-wise on his first release, which is a bit interesting because the music he makes here is very much built for a more contemplative and almost hypnotic listening experience. He does play around within the trip-hop and the atrociously labeled ‘chill beats’ space a bit, but not too much. That’s a good thing, because a nice solid release that ticks boxes is never a bad way to start.

As mentioned, the standard sounds you would expect from the genre used are emphatically present. The slow and smooth drum grooves are of course the nicest element of the material here; they are ably supported by synths, swells and the like. The opening track ‘Bottom Up Approach’ has a rather off-kilter groove to it, but it’s a standout song on the EP. The transitions are excellent, the other instrumentation provides the warmth we all gravitate towards in something like an old Bonobo song and there are well-placed pauses for all the flavour. Music like this is also known for its amazing basslines, but Dystorizon plays it safe with pretty standard lines in this regard. ‘Mixed Feelings’ has nice atmosphere (and a nice use of reverb); it also ends on a glitchy, loose groove that is oh so tasty. ‘Parallelism’ also adopts this loose, drunken approach on the drums, but it’s a lot more linear in composition. That being said, it draws you in, and that’s exactly its purpose. The EP closes with another standout, ‘Tangerine Head’. This is the most fun groove here and it stays interesting till the last second. It also has by far the best bassline of the four songs. This is a great way to end things and begs a replay or two.

‘Escape Velocity’ is only twelve minutes long, but it has a consistent level of quality over four songs, which is good for a debut. It’s not like Dystorizon is taking some huge risks with sound or something, but he does play with his chosen tools a bit, and that is nice to see. While there are concepts behind each track, this EP is one whose impact is for the individual listener alone. Put some headphones on, play this and get some work done.

Listen to 'Escape Velocity' here.